Golden State makes pitch to hire Steve Kerr as Knicks deal stalls

After the Golden State Warriors made an aggressive final bid to usurp the New York Knicks in pursuit of Steve Kerr, the NBA's hottest coaching candidate is finally closing in on a decision on Wednesday, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The inability of Knicks owner James Dolan and president Phil Jackson to close a deal with Kerr in the past several days has left the Warriors with an opportunity to persuade Kerr to bypass the Knicks' rebuilding project for a Western Conference contender.

New York had been pursuing a shorter length deal than has been available to Kerr elsewhere, league sources said, and that's believed to have re-opened Kerr's mind to the possibility of the Warriors' job again.

The Warriors' management group lost out on Stan Van Gundy to a $35 million deal to run the Detroit Pistons, and flew to Oklahoma City on Tuesday to meet with Kerr. The Warriors left more convinced of Kerr's readiness to coach the franchise, league sources said, and Kerr had a chance to further familiarize himself with the entire Warriors front office.

Still, Kerr's relationship with Jackson is the strongest bond in the process, and New York has had a significant head start in recruiting Kerr to Madison Square Garden.

Kerr, 48, is expected to implement Jackson's famed triangle offense with the Knicks and construct a roster through a shared vision. Kerr had been GM of the Phoenix Suns for three years before returning to television in 2011.